Case Number 102080 - The Magnetic Hip Joint For Reduction of Friction

Description: When pain due to severe osteoarthritis as well as conditions such as inflammatory arthropathies, post traumatic arthritis, vascular necrosis, and childhood diseases of the hip becomes intractable and, recalcitrant to conservative non-surgical management including medication and activity modifications, total hip replacement (THR) is an extremely effective option. It relieves debilitating pain and restores function to hips. Over 120,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the United States alone. .
However, the longevity of THR is limited by periprosthetic osteolysis. Periprosthetic osteolysis is defined as bone resorption about a prosthetic joint, which occurs as the biological response to particular wear debris from the prosthetic joint. It is the most common and most important long-term complication of THR. The failure of THR necessitates difficult revision THR.
We, at the University of Cincinnati, have developed the technology, which will make Periprosthetic osleolysis a thing of the past. The new approach developed here will prevent/reduce contact at the femoral head /acetabulum and thus significantly reduce generation of particular wear debris and its resultant periprosthetic osteolysis.

Advantages:
1. Commercialization of this technology offers great opportunity to address the needs of a vast population of patients suffering from various joint problems, which are beyond non surgical management; waiting for a solution like this one, which offers effective, long-term cure to the pain.
2. The use of magnetic levitation significantly decreases the generation of particular wear debris. Thus by elimination of particular wear debris from the femoral head/acetabulum in THR and the potential to significantly extend the clinical lifespan of THR.
3. Use of magnetic levitation eliminates/reduces the need for a revision THR. The revised THR is not just more complex, difficult and problematic than the primary THR due in great part to the loss of bone stock caused by osteolysis; its results are generally less satisfactory than primary THR.